Rod Vester, Director

Home for the Holidays

Get into the holiday spirit with the CONTEMPO Ensemble. This dazzling concert will take you on a festive journey filled with joyous and heartwarming sounds that are sure to make your season merry and bright. Known for its expansive repertoire, the CONTEMPO Ensemble performs a wide variety of styles and genres, including original compositions by ensemble members. Bring a friend and come enjoy a night of seasonal favorites and new songs for everyone.

Digital Program

View Digital Program

Shenandoah Conservatory uses digital programs for all performances. In addition to their engaging and accessible design, digital programs are cost effective, environmentally friendly and enable us to create and update our programs more efficiently, which means we can focus our resources on the performances you love! View our digital programs by clicking the button above, scanning the QR code in our venue or texting PROGRAM to (540) 307-2336 at the performance. [Note: Digital programs are best viewed on your mobile or tablet device.]

Lean In & Engage

Q: Are you collaborating with any guest artists or cross-disciplinary faculty/students?

Yes! The Harambee Gospel Choir will be featured on Please Come Home for Christmas by Alicia Keys and performed by Bobby Bays ’26 (Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Musicianship & Entrepreneur Development) and Isabella Mesfun ’26 (Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Musicianship & Entrepreneur Development).

Three jazz musicians — pianist Michel Fantom ’24 (Bachelor of Music in Music Production & Recording Technology), drummer Jacob Blair ’25 (Bachelor of Music in Music Production & Recording Technology) and upright bassist Charles Perry ’24 (Bachelor of Music in Music Production & Recording Technology) will be featured on the show’s opener, My Favorite Things from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music performed by I’ami Argueta.

We will also feature actor Trip Jones ’25 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) who will be featured on O Come, O Come Emmanuel arranged by Tyler Joseph from Twenty One Pilots and performed by Jose Rivas.

– Rod Vester, CONTEMPO Ensemble director

Q: What are students learning or experiencing through this process?

“Throughout this process, students have been demonstrating professional skills in utilizing music technology, including microphone technique, tone control, amplified instruments and live sound reinforcement.

They’ve been analyzing the basic components of contemporary/commercial/popular music compositions and arrangements, including song structure, chord progressions, melodic and rhythmic patterns, playing the “groove” and demonstrating arrangement techniques.

Some singers worked in a recording studio to pre-record background vocals for this performance.

Singer-songwriter Isabella Mesfun ’26 (Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Musicianship & Entrepreneur Development) arranged the background vocal parts for Mistletoe, a song performed by Justin Bieber.

Lastly, students have demonstrated intermediate to advanced techniques of contemporary/commercial/popular musicianship, by playing and singing both by ear and by using notational tools such a chord charts, lead sheets and tablatures.”

– Rod Vester, CONTEMPO Ensemble director

Q: What excites you about working on this program?

“Being able to create various opportunities, that teaches new skills and gives students hands-on experience, throughout the process of planning for this performance excites me the most.”

– Rod Vester, CONTEMPO Ensemble director

Q: What are you excited about for audiences to experience?

“This performance will be a new experience for the audience. Even if you’ve witnessed CONTEMPO perform previously, you will still experience a fresh and new approach to what the ensemble does. You’ll see some new faces too!”

– Rod Vester, CONTEMPO Ensemble director

Accessibility

Accommodations for disabilities may be arranged by contacting the Box Office at least three days prior to the performance.

Photos by C King Media